Roller felting machine



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' ROLLER FELTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, l949 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 //V VEN 7 01?. a/oo M22564.

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March 24, 1953 G. MEZZERA 2,632,229

ROLLER FELTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 IN VE N 70/? 50/00 MEZZ-EA.

March 24, 1953 MEZZERA 2,632,229

ROLLER FELTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 lA/VE/VTOR. 60/00 MZZEPA.

Patented Mar. 24, 1953 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 26, 1949, Serial No. 112,464 In Italy August 27, 1948 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for the fulling of felt. One object of the invention is to provide a machine which requires less time for the fulling of felts than conventional machines.

Further objects. of the invention reside in the provision of roller felting machine which produces a more regular compactness of the felts, which reduces installation costs, which turns out a better product, and whose output is nearly twice as great as that of conventional machines.

One feature of the invention is the provision of a machine having three rows of fulling rollers, of which the upper and lower rollers have a movement normal to the axial oscillatory movement of the intermediate rollers.

The machine according to the invention coinprises a stationary frame, a set of rollers rotatably supported by said frame, a second frame, a set of rollers rotatably supported by said second frame, support levers fulcrumed on said stationary frame and having an arm carrying said second frame, and equilibrium means connected with said support levers for counterbalancing the weight of saidsecond frame and of the rollers supported thereby.

The machine further comprises:

(a) A supporting frame and control means for controlling the various moving members and of means for changing the speed of roller rotation;

(b) Two supporting columns connected with each other by crossbeams and carrying a slide, which supports upper and lower oscillating frames comprising bearings for the fulling rollers and which supports all the other mechanism forming part of the machine. The machine includes a system adapted to produce a double fulling of the felt and comprises means advancing:

The felt between rows of fulling rollers, of which a row of intermediate rollers has a very rapid axial oscillatory movement and a lower and an upper row have a less rapid oscillatory movement in a vertical plane normal to the axial oscillatory movement of the intermediate rollers.

The felt passes between lower and intermediate rollers and, after leaving the rollers, is conveyed by a band to pass between the intermediate and upper rollers or, first between the upper and intermediate rollers and thereupon between the intermediate and lowerrollers, feeding and collecting of the felts taking place at the same side of the machine which is a great advantage.

Feeding is effected by laying the felts on a horizontal plane and collecting is effected on a slightly inclined plane, which collects all the felts emerging between the row of up er and intermediate rollers or, feeding is effected by causing the felts to enter between the upper and intermediate rollers and the felts are collected when they emerge from between the intermediate and lower rollers, on the horizontal plane. Besides the rotary movement which is common to all rollers, there is imparted to the intermediate rollers a very rapid axial oscillation obtained by means of a shaft having eccentrics, oscillation of each roller being out of phase of that of the adjacent roller. The upper and lower rollers are individually supported by frames to which an oscillating movement is imparted which is normal to the axial oscillatory movement of the intermediate rollers, the lower and upper rollers being oscillated in the same manner as the frames.

The impact of the upper and lower rollers against the intermediate rollers (while felts are interposed), is adjusted in such a way as to obtain a greater or smaller force of impact on the felts in accordance with the distance of the upper and lower rollers from the intermediate rollers.

The closer the upper and lower rollers are to the intermediate rollers, the heavier is the impact on the felts; the Wider the rollers are apart, the smaller will be the force of impact and, therefore, the fulling effect. To obtain and facilitate the passage of the felts between the rollers, it is preferred to provide suitable longitudinal fiuting on the rollers. Because the rotary movement of the intermediate rollers is opposite to that of the upper and lower rollers, the felts are forwarded from the inlet to the outlet, while being beaten continually.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rollers can be driven at three different speeds, by means of a speed changing gear. Therefore, three or more fulling speeds are available for selectively producing three different numbers of impacts on each centimetre length of the felt. The mechanism that con trols the passage of the felts from between the intermediate and lower rollers to the intermediate and upper row, is constituted by an endless rubber band which unrolls tangentially of and along precise directions from the three end rollers. The mechanism also permits increasing the distance between the upper and lower rollers, respectively, and between the intermedi-- ate rollers on the other roller without causing any inconvenience, the whole system being mounted in such a manner as to afford such displacements. A constructional feature of primary importance is the mounting of the frames carrying the lower and upper rollers. Whereas the intermediate rollers are arran ed on a fixed horizontal plane, the frames carryim the lower and upper rollers can be shifted vertically, the lower ones downward and the u per ones upward. The possibility of vertically shifting the frames and. therefore, the rollers. facilitates cle nin and in pecting of the m ch ne.

In order to impart to both the lower and upper frames and, therefore, to the respective rollers, a constant and resilient pressure against the intermediate rollers, each individual frame is supported in the following manner:

(1) The upper frame rests with its whole weight on the u per part of the intermediate rollers: this weight. however, can be com lete y balanced or increased by a system of leve s and counterweight-s. making it possible to exactly ad 'ust the pressure exerted between the rollers, while ma ntaining the reouired resilience.

(2) The lower frame with its rollers ten s to move away from the rollers because of its we ght. It is resiliently supported inde endently of the upper frame. by a system of levers and counterweights. so that besides counrerba ann n the weight of the whole assembly, it is possible to exert an adiustab e and elastic pressure eoual to that exerted by the up er ro lers. ro uc ng a re ular and constant ressure between the intermediate and lower rollers. which is an ad antage whi h cannot be attained by any other system of adiustrnent.

In ad ition to this system of levers and c unterweights, which imparts a gener l elasticity to all the assemblies of roller carrying frames, both lower and u per, a resilient bearing is provided for each individual roller carrying support, i. e. lower and upper, in such a manner that each individual roller can undergo any movement r su t g from either the o c lating im act or from difference of thickness of the felt inter osed between the rollers. For wett ng the felts d r n the fu ling operation. a bin of stainless steel sheet with suitable perforations is provided above the rollers.

Below the rolle s there is provided another bin with a pi e p aced inside. which bin acts as a collecting bin for the acidul ted water dropping from the u er bin. and. by means of the pipe, wets the felts also while they ass between the row of intermediate and lower rollers collecting the linuid dropping from both. and conveying it through a flexible hose into a decantation bin, where a pump provides for returning the acidulated water into the upper bin.

In order that the invention be more fully understood, two preferred embodiments are represented in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 represents a vertical cross-section of a machine according to the invention, the section being made along line 1-1 in Fig.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical cross-section of a part of the machine shown in Fig. l, the section being made along line II-II in Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section made along line IIIIII in Fig, 5;

Fig. 4 is a part sectional view of parts of the machine according to the invention, the section being made along line IVIV in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal part sectional view of the machine according to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view of the side of the machine opposite to that shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional view of the machine. the section being made along line VIIVII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a side View of a portion of a modified machine according to the invention, with parts broken off;

Fig. 9 illustrates a mechanical detail of a machine according to the invention.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in all Figures of the drawing.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawing, numeral 1 designates a supporting frame having cross-beams 2 and provisions connecting a gear box 3 and a control box 4 for displacing the roller carrying frames A and B, Fig. 3. The supporting columns 5 and 6 are rigidly connected with one another by crossbeams 1. On the supporting shoulders are vertically slidable the frame carrying slides 8, 9, I0 and H. The vertical displacement of the slides carrying the frames is effected by hand by means of two hand wheels 12 and E3. The hand wheel l2 displaces the upper frame A through the chain gearing l4 and 45, Fig. '7, the worms lfia, 16b, [60 and I603, the worm Wheels Ila, I12), [70, [1d, the threaded rods Hia, I81), I80, lBd, the latter two of which are not visible in the drawing, and the nuts I 9a, 19b, [90, led. The chains are conveniently protected by covers 20 and 25. Hand wheel i3 displaces the lower frame B through chain gearings, worms, worm wheels 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, screws 23a, 23b 23c, 23d, the latter two not being visible, and nuts 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d.

Cover 25 protects the chains operated by wheel I3 and affords easy inspection.

Worms [6a, 16b, I60, Hid are connected by means of shafts 23 and 21 and couplings 28 and 28'. In this way uniform lifting is obtained at the four corners of the frame. The crossbeams 29 and 30, Fig. 3, rigidly connect the upper slides 31 carrying the upper rollers 33 and the lower slides 32 carrying the lower rollers 34 respectively. Equilibrium of the weight of the frames, upper and lower, is obtained in the following manner:

The weight of the upper frame rests on the vertical screws l8a, l8b, I80, I8d; that of the lower frame rests on the threaded rods 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d. Each threaded rod is supported by a bearing, P2 and P3 being shown in Fig. 1 for the rods l8a and lilb, respectively, and bearings P1 and P4 for rods 23a and 2312, respectively.

The bearings rest individually on the short arm of the levers Ll, L2, L3, L4, respectively. The long arm of each lever carries an adjustable weight Ml, M2, M3, M4, respectively, of such magnitude as to constantly and resiliently produce an equal pressure of the upper and lower rollers against the intermediate rollers. The upper rollers 33 and the lower rollers 34 are revolvably supported in bearings 35 and 36, respectively, which are resiliently carried in the reciprocating slides 3| and 32, resiliently being afforded by springs 38, Fig. 3.

The adjustment of the springs is effected by means of a device that simultaneously regulates all springs of a row of bearings. If the hand wheels 4| or 43, Fig. 5, are rotated, slides having inclined surfaces 43 and 44, respectively, are reciprocated because they are connected with screws 33 and 42, respectively, which extend into threaded bores of wheels 4| and 40. The slides acton the springs 33 placed inside? each '.bear.-- ing support and pressing a push rod 65 out. of. This adjustment serves to make" mitting a rotary movement from the drive shaft,

by means of a sheave ll and a V-belt to a sheave 48, Fig. 6, said rotary movement being further transmitted bymeans-of a belt, sheaves 49 and 48a, bevel gears and, in the box 6, to the vertical shaft 50. Shaft 59 extends to suitable boxes fixed to the frame-carrying slides and slidable therewith. The boxes contain bevel gears 5| and 52, Fig. i, which transmit their movement to bevel gears 53 and 5 3, respectively, fitted onto the shafts 55 and 55. The shafts 55 and 5E have-eccentric portions X, Y and X1, Y1 respec-. tively.

Brackets 5'5 and 58 rotatably carried by said eccentric portions impart to the frame-carrying slides 29 to 32 a transverse oscillation equal to the double of the eccentricity. Fly-wheels 50 and Giliare fitted on the ends of shafts 55', 56, respectively, distal of the ends fitted with bevel gears to make the intensity of oscillation more uniform. The intermediate rollers 37 are axially movably borne in bearings 62 and 53. The rollers 3'! are not only rotated but also rapidly axially reciprocated by a shaft provided with eccentrics 46, Fig. 3. Each individual eccentric controls a fork 6 to which a pin 65 is connected having a spherical end movable in a bearing 66 and connected to the shaft 6'! of the intermediate rollers 3f for axially reciprocating the rotating rollers.

As seen in Fig. 6, sheave 68 fixed to shaft 55 is driven by the electric motor for driving the machine by means of V-belts.

At the side opposed to the drive side, a flywheel 69 is rigidly connected to shaft it to make the axial oscillations of the intermediate rollers more uniform. Also on the drive side is a sheave l driving by means of a V-belt a pulley II which drives the speed reducing gears 12 and 13 outside of and change speed gears in box 3 for rotating the rollers through vertical shafts l4 and '55, Fig. 2. The shaft T l can turn relative to the shaft E at the same speed, or at a speed higher by a fixed percentage. For adjustment of the relative speeds of shafts I4 and f5, lever I5 on the outside of box 3 must be manipulated. By changing the relative speeds of the intermediate and upper rollers and of the intermediate and lower rollers, displacement of the felt portions contacting one and the other set of rollers is obtained and, consequently, automatic crossing of the felt. Not only the relative speeds of the shafts i l and 15 can be adjusted but also their interdependent speeds. To effect such change lever ll must be manipulated. Rotation of the rollers by the vertical shafts M and i5 is effected by bevel gears l8, i9, 30 and the threaded rods 8!, 82, 83, Fig. 3, and by the worm wheels at, 85, and 86 fitted onto each individual roller. The mechanism affords different rates of peripheral speed of all sets of rollers and, therefore, of felt conveyance, which rates also effect the felting speed. The more quickly the felt advances between the rollers, the lower is the number of impacts per centimetre of length imparted to the felts and the lower is the felt-- ing frequency; the slower the felts advance, the higher is the number of impacts effected per The oscillatory movement of the centimetreiof length and the higher: is the fre-' quency of fulling. The" total. number of rollers:

in the machine may vary according to the kind of fulling required. The felts are fed into the machine by a fiat feeder constituted by a roller assembly 07, whose rollers receive the felts placed.

by :the operator and forward them to enter between the intermediate and lower rollers.

At the delivery side of the penultimate lower roller. the felt is gripped between a roller and a rubber band 08,- Fig. 5, running over said roller; the felt emerging from between the intermediate and lower rollers is made to enter between the rows of intermediate and upper rollers. The band 88 is tensioned by a roll 89 carried by levers $0, Fig. 7. The band isresilient and its tension is adjusted by a counterweight or by a spring connected to the levers 90. If desired. the feeding may be effected in an adverse manner, namely: the. felts are placed between the intermediate and upper rollers and, with the aid of the band, areconveyed to enter between the intermediate and lower rollers. With this arrangement, the first fulling is performed by the upper,

rollers and the second-fulling by the lower rollers and, feeding and discharging are effected on the same side of the machine feeding on a higher plane and discharging on a lower plane.

A pan 92, Fig. 1, is fixed to the upper frame and suitably perforated for wetting the felts during their fulling travel. The lower frame carries a pan 83 containing pipe 00. The upper surface of the pipe is perforated for discharging a liquid to wet the felts during their travel between the rollers, the pan 93 collecting the liquid dripping from the felt.

Fig. 8 illustrates a modified mechanism for vibrating the frames supporting the felting rollers. Bearings 95 are arranged on the base of the machine for supporting the intermediate fulling rollers 96. A transverse shaft 99 is rotatably supported at the end of beam 0? extending from column 58 and provided with an eccentric I00 rotating in a collar IOI provided with a rod I02 whose free end is articulated to the frame I03. The latter is thus suspended from the stationary frame of the machine in such a manner that it can oscillate in the longitudinal vertical plane of the felting machine.

The frame I03 is provided with vertical guides I04 in which are slidable the supports for the bearings of the fulling rollers. The supports are subjected to the action of a coil spring I05, whose initial compression is adjustable by means of a screw I05. Collars I07 provided on the slidable supports limit the stroke of the supports.

To the frame I03 is articulated a connecting rod I08, which is pivoted to a rocker I09, one end of which is formed as a fork H0. An eccentric III rigidly fitted onto a shaft H2 revolving in supports H3 engages the inside of the fork for swinging it laterally.

The supports I I3 are slidable in guides I I4 and may be fixed in a suitable position, the guides being rigidly connected with the stationary frame of the machine.

If the position of the supports in the guide I I4 is changed, the length of the arm of the rocker I09 actuated by the eccentric is also changed and, therefore, also the stroke of the connecting rod 508.

Fig. 9 illustrates a coupling for connecting a fulling roller to its drive shaft. The end of the roller is provided with a coaxial frusto-conical extension H5, joined at its smaller base to the roller. The drive shaft is provided, at the end facing the roller, with a similar extension H6 which faces with its large diameter end the conical extension of the roller. Both extensions are joined by means of a sleeve Ill which is split into two halves and whose interior is so shaped as to embrace the terminal extension of the roller as well as that of the shaft, the two halves of the sleeve being connnected by bolts. A diametrically located pin within the sleeve prevents relative rotation of the roller and its shaft.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in What manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. A roller felting machine comprising a stationary frame, a set of rollers rotatably supported by said frame, a second frame, a second set of rollers rotatably supported by said second frame, said stationary frame having a portion at an elevation higher than that of said second frame, suspension means swingably depending from said portion and having a lower end pivoted to said second frame for affording substantially horizontal reciprocating motion of the latter, and a 8 reciprocating mechanism connected with said second frame for imparting substantially horizontal reciprocating motion thereto transversely to the longitudinal axes of the rollers of the second set.

2. A roller felting machine as defined in claim 1,

said reciprocating means comprising stroke adjusting means for changing the extent of the reciprocating motion.

GUIDO MEZZERA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

